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Origins of the Industrial Revolution

September 19, 2007

  • Industrial Revolution is the culmination of movement of Man fashioning a tool out of stone.
  • In agriculture, he started doing what Nature was doing.
  • Here, he conceived of manufacturing products not in Nature. And he did so through machines he himself fashioned.
  • As agriculture created a new plane of production, Industrial Revolution created a new plane of productivity – a plane of tools and products.
  • What is their origin?
    Observation led to agriculture though thinking was in the rear. In industry, thinking replaces observation or observation matures into thinking. This is not thinking for understanding but thinking for material creativity, known as innovations. Thinking is the capacity to link two things observed in the context of the mind. Mind can be materially productive or creative of ideas, forms, forces or relationships.
  • Industrial Revolution has discovered new energies, tools, uses, products, in short has created a new market. In the measure, it reaches the market it thrives. It needs to endow purchasing power to that market. It creates wealth and distributes it. It has an inherent compelling obligation to enrich the market as Henry Ford did.
  • Sir Arthur Lewis concluded that Industrial Revolution sprouted in England, as she possessed capital from agriculture surplus.
  • For the Industrial Revolution to become a reality it needs technology, new tools created by that technology, new products which the masses can use, purchasing power in the masses, human capital that can rise to the new technological climate to uphold production and consumption. It needs a social infrastructure of transport, communication, education, scientific curiosity, technological temperament in an adequate measure.
  • Obviously, they come from excess social energy ready to organise itself into psychological infrastructure and material infrastructure. Organisational development by the society and the capacity of the society to constantly use it with benefit are other needs.
  • Excess social energy issues out of the excess production. Excess production is absorbed by the excess population. Epidemics shrink the population allowing the excess energy to be used for the social progress. Epidemics and wars are negative. Education positively decreases the population for the same purpose. Education that matures into culture does it invariably. Education requires freedom. Social freedom that is not converted into expanding activity seeks education. Freedom begins when religious superstition gives way.
  • Freedom issues from prolonged slavery.
  • An island carries the environment of potential expansive energy.
  • Rainfall assures of greater agricultural production.
  • Foreign occupation compels the natives to learn the conqueror’s language and culture which are practical educational potentials.
  • Insularity on the island offers an identity that needs concentration.
  • Democracy activates the educational effort at all levels of population.
  • Emergence of a poet like Shakespeare vindicates all the above assumptions. Not recognising Shakespeare for three hundred years also shows the achievement of Shakespeare was a lone effort unsupported by the masses.
  • As extraordinary freedom for the women was extended in England as men were mostly out. Partly her stature arose as it was Man who was to court her on his bended knees. Something of the Jewish family’s respect for women was given to English women maybe because she was an heiress in many cases. The rule of some Queens lent credence to it over the centuries.
  • Should scales be constructed for these social aspects and England evaluated on it, we shall be able to evaluate how far our theory is justified by historical facts along with philosophical possibility.



story | by Dr. Radut